Charles Leclerc addresses suggestions of driving style divergence with Lewis Hamilton

Charles Leclerc deflected a direct comparison when asked whether his driving style aligned more with Lewis Hamilton or former teammate Carlos Sainz. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Ferrari driver suggested that driving styles were not the most crucial factor when developing a car, and instead highlighted the importance of having similar demands from the machinery.

While there has been speculation that Leclerc and Sainz shared a more compatible driving style, making car development more straightforward, Hamilton is known for a distinct approach, particularly with his late-braking technique, which hasn’t always translated smoothly in the era of modern F1 machinery.

Responding to Sportskeeda’s question, Leclerc avoided making any direct comparisons with Sainz. Instead, he noted that despite theoretical differences, both he and Hamilton have shared expectations of the car. He also pointed out that both drivers exhibit an aggressive style when it comes to corner entries, suggesting that Hamilton’s approach may be more similar to his than initially expected.

Asked by Sportskeeda if his driving style was more similar to Sainz than Hamilton, Charles Leclerc said:

“I mean, well, first of all, I see lots of things around that, most of the time, that driving style is super important. I feel like you have more than enough freedom in the car setup to adapt a car to to someone's driving style so that doesn't change a lot."

"As I said it's always a bit more helpful to be pushing in the same direction because we need the same thing from a car and as I said with Lewis, I was very surprised how similar we will approach the corners in corner entry. I don't want to do any particular comparison with other drivers, but when Lewis came I did not expect that. And we are both quite aggressive in corner entry. And that means that we require the same things out of the car for sure.”

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Charles Leclerc confirms Ferrari has converged the setup of both its drivers

Charles Leclerc also revealed that he and teammate Lewis Hamilton have begun to converge on similar car setups, marking a shift from the first few races of the season. The Ferrari driver shared that while the pair had experimented with drastically different setups in the opening rounds, they have aligned their approaches since the Bahrain GP.

Leclerc dismissed suggestions that the two were pursuing separate development directions, leading to varying performances in the same machinery. Instead, he emphasized that both him and Hamilton share similar demands from the car, making it easier for the team to fine-tune performance and extract consistent results. The convergence, he believes, is a positive sign for Ferrari as it streamlines the team's development path moving forward.

Asked if both Ferrari drivers had adopted different setup directions for the car, Charles Leclerc said:

“No, it's something we converged now a bit more, especially since the last weekend. And so recently we did converge. So no, we're not going in different directions. We're actually pushing in the same direction, which is a good thing and needed. And it's also a good thing for the future. Not knowing that we need the same things for the car, for us to feel comfortable, is a positive for the team.”

Charles Leclerc has held the upper hand over Lewis Hamilton in qualifying across the first four race weekends of the 2025 season. While Hamilton managed to out-qualify and outperform his teammate in the sprint shootout and race in China, the seven-time world champion has largely focused on adapting to Ferrari’s tools, systems, and engineering philosophies in his first season with the Scuderia.

Leclerc, who appears more in tune with the car at this stage, has scored 32 points and currently sits fifth in the drivers’ championship. Hamilton, meanwhile, has amassed 25 points and is placed seventh.

Ferrari sits fourth in the constructors’ standings with a combined total of 57 points — a figure that could have been higher were it not for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton's double disqualification in China. Despite the early deficit, the team appears to be building momentum as both drivers continue refining their setups and extracting more performance from the SF-25.